1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of flashlights and specifically relates to a protective shield and grip-enhancing sleeve for use with such devices.
Contemporary flashlights of professional quality find wide use among persons working in law enforcement, fire and rescue, and sportsmen. FIG. 1 shows such a flashlight. Typically, the outer case 12 of the flashlight is metal or plastic and the flashlight includes an elongated barrel 14 which typically contains two to six energy cells of size C or size D. The barrel 14 normally includes a knurled section 16 which permits the user to maintain a secure grip on the flashlight, although some flashlights have little or no gripping surface.
It has been found that the knurled section 16 produces excessive wear on fabrics against which it rubs, for example the seats of cars and the clothing worn by the user. This problem cannot be solved merely by omitting the knurling from the barrel 14, because that would leave the barrel smooth so that it could slip or be pulled from the hands of the user too readily. The present invention is intended to solve this problem without requiring permanent modification of the flashlight.
2. Summary of the Invention
The present inventor recognized that the knurled section 16 of the barrel could be covered with a sleeve to protect the objects with which the barrel would normally come into contact from being scratched or abraded by the knurled section 16. Several difficulties became evident upon further investigation. For example, it is desirable that the sleeve to be applied over the barrel 14 should be resistant to slipping along the barrel. It is also desirable that any sleeve should present to the user an anti-slip surface to grip, offering superior gripping ability to that present prior to installation of the sleeve. Further, it is desirable that the sleeve not contain any longitudinal slits that would interfere with the action of the tensional forces that would be set up in a sleeve that is stretched diametrically to fit over the barrel.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a sleeve of a slip-resistant material that can be forced over the end 18 of the flashlight when the flashlight barrel 14 has been lubricated.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which several preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.